Official Statistics

Civilian personnel biannual diversity dashboard report April 2023

Published 8 June 2023

Introduction

This statistical release presents figures on the current numbers and proportions for diversity characteristics of civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The report covers civilian personnel within MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas (TLB) and excludes personnel in organisations with delegated personnel functions; Trading Funds, Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.

From 01 April 2023, Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) is included within the figures presented, as a MOD Main TLB. Prior to 01 April 2023, for the purposes of producing this Official Statistic, DNO was not separately identifiable from the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) an Executive Agency, and therefore was excluded.

This statistical release is produced as part of the transparency and accountability of the Ministry of Defence to Parliament and the public. The information has a wide range of users including the media, politicians, academic researchers and the general public who use the information to:

• understand the size and distribution of core MOD organisations by individual diversity categories

• assist in understanding the effect of changes in Defence policy, for instance changes to diversity analysis within recruiting

For further information on the MOD Diversity Dashboard please visit:

• MOD Diversity Dashboard statistics

• MOD Diversity Dashboard Excel ODS table

• MOD Civilian Personnel Background Quality Report

Main Points and Trends

At 1 April 2023, of MOD main civilian personnel:

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45.2% are female, a rise of 0.7 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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6.4% are ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), a rise of 0.4 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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2.9% identify as being lesbian, gay & bisexual (LGB), a rise of 0.1 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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11.9% have declared a disability, an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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10.2% are part-time personnel, a fall of 0.2 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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56.3% have declared a religion or belief as Christian, a fall of 1.2 percentage points compared with 1 April 2022.

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The average age is 47.5 years, a reduction of 0.2 years compared with 1 April 2022.

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Declaration Rate: Ethnic background, disability, religion and sexual orientation are self-declared. Declaration rates are the number of personnel who make an ‘active declaration’ as a proportion of the total personnel. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required.

Representation Rate: The number of personnel within ‘active declaration’ that select a particular active diversity as a proportion of the total personnel within ‘active declaration’. An active declaration excludes unknown and undeclared records including ‘choose not to declare/prefer not to say’.

MOD Main Civilian Personnel: Includes staff in MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Areas (TLBs), the major organisational groupings of the MOD directly responsible for the planning, management and delivery of departmental capability. These are Navy Command, Army TLB, HQ Air Command, Head Office & Corporate Services, UK Strategic Command, Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Defence Nuclear Organisation. Please see glossary for further information.

Figure 1 – Age band distribution of MOD main civilian personnel at 1 April 2023

Figure 1 shows that over one third (35.6%) of MOD main personnel are aged 50 to 59. The percentage of MOD main personnel aged 40 to 49 is 20.5% and the percentage of 30 to 39 is 17.4%. The age groups with the lowest percentage of MOD main personnel are aged 16 to 29 with 10.4% and aged 60 & over with 16.2%.

Sex Representation

There are more men (20,630) than women (16,990) in the MOD, although the proportion of women is slowly increasing (table 2).

Table 2 – Female representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 21 to 1 April 23

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	16,590	16,730	16,500	16,520	16,990
Proportion of total (%)	44.1	44.3	44.5	44.9	45.2

Age Group Distribution

Figure 2a shows there was a higher proportion of female personnel for age groups 16 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 whilst there was a higher proportion of male personnel for age groups 50 to 59 and 60 and over. This indicates that overall, female personnel are likely to be younger than their male counterparts.

Figure 2a – Female representation of MOD main civilian personnel within age bands, as at 1 April 2023

Age Band Charts

Charts by age band for each diversity category have been compiled on the basis of within band analysis. For instance, for each age band, the number of female staff is divided by the total female population and multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that the female proportions split by age will add up to 100%.

Grade Band Distribution

Figure 2b shows there was a higher proportion of male personnel in industrial grades in comparison to females. There was a higher proportion of females in grade bands AA to AO, EO and HEO to SEO.

Industrial Personnel

Civilian personnel employed primarily in a trade, craft or other manual labour occupation. This covers a wide range of work such as industrial technicians, air freight handlers, storekeepers, vergers and drivers.

Figure 2b – Representation of MOD main civilian personnel by sex and grade, as at 1 April 2023

Grade Band Charts

Charts by grade band for each diversity category have been compiled on the basis of across group analysis. For instance, for each grade, the number of female staff is divided by the total female population, and the result multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that female and male proportions split by grade will add to 100%.

Ethnicity Representation

ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities): the currently used terminology replacing the previously used term BAME.

white (including white minorities): the currently used terminology replacing the previously used term White.

Of those with a known ethnicity, the percentage who are from an ethnic minority background is 6.4%. Between April 2021 and April 2023, the proportion decreased to 6.0% in October 2022 before rising to 6.4% in April 2023 (table 3).

Table 3 – Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 21 to 1 April 23

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	2,030	2,100	1,910	1,900	2,030
Proportion of total (%)	6.3	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.4

Age Group Distribution

Figure 3a shows there was a higher proportion of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age at 59.9% compared to the equivalent white (including white minorities) population at 44.6%, with this trend reversing for age bands 50 years and over.

Figure 3a – Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) and white (including white minorities) personnel distribution within age bands, as at 1 April 2023

Grade Band Distribution

Within figure 3b, the distribution of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) and white (including white minorities) personnel across grade was broadly similar for grades AA to AO and EO. There was a higher proportion of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) personnel at grades HEO to SEO and grade 6 and 7.

The proportion of white (including white minorities) personnel who are in industrial grades was 8.5% compared with 4.1% for ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) personnel.

Figure 3b – ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) and white (including white minorities) population Personnel Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2023

Sexual Orientation Representation

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual (LGB)

The term referring to those who self-identify their sexual orientation as being other than heterosexual, including, lesbian, gay, bisexual and other orientations. Transgender people may or may not identify as one of these orientations.

Of those with a known sexual orientation, 2.9% identify as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. Between April 2021 and April 2023, the proportion and headcount total of personnel with an active declaration of LGB has fallen by 0.1 percentage points, peaking at 3.2% in October 2021.

Table 4 – LGB representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	890	940	810	790	840
Proportion of total (%)	3.0	3.2	2.8	2.8	2.9

Age Group Distribution

Within figure 4a, MOD main personnel aged 16 to 29 and 30 to 39 account for 55.3% of those identifying as LGB. This was a higher proportion compared to the equivalent heterosexual population at 24.6%. The largest proportion of personnel identifying as heterosexual are aged 50 to 59 (37%).

Figure 4a – Comparison of LGB and Heterosexual Personnel Distributions within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2023

Grade Band Distribution

As shown in figure 4b, the distribution of LGB and heterosexual personnel across grade was broadly similar for grades AA to AO, EO, grade 7 to 6 and SCS. There was a higher proportion of LGB personnel in grades HEO to SEO than heterosexual personnel and a lower proportion of LGB personnel in industrial grades.

Figure 4b – Comparison of LGB and heterosexual personnel distributions by grade, as at 1 April 2023

Religion and Belief Representation

Christian: Includes personnel who self-identify their religion as any Christian denomination or following a religion which follows a Christian tradition.

Non-Christian: Includes all personnel who self-identify their religion or belief as any which is not Christian. This includes those who have self-identified as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh or any other religion or belief which is not Christian.

No religion or belief: Includes personnel who have self-identified as having no religion or any other beliefs.

Prefer to self-describe: Includes personnel who have self-identified as having a religion or belief not covered within standard belief groups.

The most commonly reported religion or belief is Christianity at 56.3%, whilst the percentage of MOD main personnel recording no religion or belief is 37.8%.

Table 5 shows in the period April 2021 to April 2023 the proportion and headcount total of personnel with an active declaration of religion or belief has varied. The proportion of personnel reporting a religion or belief of Christian has been falling, with a corresponding increase of no religion or belief.

Table 5 – Religion or belief representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	28,600	29,000	28,700	28,050	28,660
Christian (%)	59.1	58.2	57.5	57.2	56.3
Non-Christian (%)	5.8	5.9	3.4	3.6	3.9
No religion or belief (%)	35.1	36.0	36.7	37.0	37.8
Prefer to self-describe (%)	*	*	2.3	2.2	2.0

Age Group Distribution

Within figure 5a, the largest proportion of MOD main personnel reporting a religion of belief of Christianity are aged 50 to 59 (43%) followed by 60 and over (23%). There was a higher proportion of non-christian personnel for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49, compared to the equivalent Christian population. The age bands of personnel reporting no religion or belief are equally spread across all age bands, with the lowest representation in ages 60 and over (8.7%).

Figure 5a – Comparison of religion and belief group distributions within age bands, as at 1 April 2023

Within the excel ODS tables 4.1 to 4.2, a representation breakdown by age band is not presented for religion as the comparison shown is not between a minority and majority group. The 3-way comparison between Christian, non-Christian and no religion beliefs would fragment the data too much to be meaningful or statistically viable in a tabular format.

Grade Band Distribution

As shown in figure 5b, the distribution of grades was broadly similar amongst all religion or belief groups.

Figure 5b – Comparison of religion or belief group distributions by grade, as at 1 April 2023

Disability Representation

The proportion of MOD main civilian personnel who have declared themselves as disabled is 11.9%. In the period April 2021 to April 2023 the proportion of personnel with an active declaration disabled has remained steady (table 6).

Table 6 – Disability representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	3,430	3,490	3,210	3,090	3,130
Proportion of total (%)	11.9	11.9	11.4	11.6	11.9

Age Group Distribution

Figure 6a shows that the largest proportion of personnel with a declared disability are aged 50 to 59 (40%). The distribution of age is similar between all groups.

Figure 6a – Comparison of disabled and non-disabled personnel distributions within age bands, as at 1 April 2023

Grade Band Distribution

As shown in figure 6b, the distribution between grades was broadly similar amongst those personnel with a declared disability and those with no disability.

Figure 6b – Comparison of disabled and non-disabled personnel distributions by grade, as at 1 April 2023

Full Time and Part Time Representation

Full-time: Civil servants are those working 37 hours a week, excluding meal breaks.

Part-time: Civil servants are those working fewer than 37 hours a week, excluding meal breaks.

The proportion of MOD main civilian personnel who are working part-time is 10.2%. In the period April 2021 to April 2023 the proportion of personnel working part time has fallen from 10.9% in April 2021 (table 7).

Table 7 – Part-time representation of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	4,120	4,100	3,860	3,710	3,830
Proportion of total (%)	10.9	10.8	10.4	10.1	10.2

Age Group Distribution

Within figure 7a, of those MOD main personnel working part-time, 80% are aged 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 and over.

Figure 7a – Comparison of part-time and full-time personnel distributions within age bands, as at 1 April 2023

Grade Band Distribution

As shown in figure 7b, the distribution of grade across both working patterns were broadly similar. In grades AA to AO, there was a slightly higher proportion of personnel working part-time with 37.4% in comparison to full time with 30.0%.

Figure 7b – Comparison of part-time and full-time personnel distributions by grade, as at 1 April 2023

Age Distribution

The average age of MOD main civilian personnel is 47.5 years. This has remained broadly similar for the period April 2021 to April 2023.

Table 8 – Average age of MOD main civilian personnel, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23
Headcount	37,660	37,760	37,080	36,750	37,620
Average Age (years)	47.7	47.7	47.7	47.7	47.5

Age Group Distribution

Almost two fifths (36.4%) of MOD Main personnel were aged 50 – 59 years of age as at 1 April 2023, with more than half (52.3%) aged 50 years or over. This is similar to 1 April 2021 with 53.2% aged 50 years or over.

Figure 8 – Comparison of age band distribution, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

Glossary

Navy Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. As at 1 April 2010 Fleet TLB was renamed to Navy Command. Fleet TLB was formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet and the Chief of Naval Personnel/ Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.

Army TLB: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the army (previously reported as Land Forces). Performs a similar role to Navy Command within the context of trained army formations and equipment.

HQ Air Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB) for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Incorporates the RAF’s Personnel and Training Command and Strike Command with a single fully integrated Headquarters, which equips the RAF to provide a coherent and coordinated single Air focus to the other Services, MOD Head Office, the Permanent Joint Headquarters and the rest of MOD.

Head Office & Corporate Services: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established as at 1 April 2012. Lead areas of activity include Senior Finance Office (SFO) are responsible for ensuring that decisions are taken with due regard to affordability and value for money, acting as Head of Establishment for London HO Buildings and associated support requirements, Production of the Department’s Resource Accounts and Governance support for MOD Trading Funds.

UK Strategic Command: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established at 1 April 2012 to ensure that a range of military support functions covering medical services, training and education, intelligence and cyber are organised in an efficient and effective manner to support success on operations, supporting investment in joint capabilities, strengthening the links between operational theatres and top level decision making. As of October 2019 JFC changed their official title to UKStratcom.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established on 1 April 2011, DIO manages the military estate, including accommodation for Service personnel and their families, on behalf of the MOD. It replaced Defence Estates and includes TLB property and facilities management functions previously situated within other TLBs.

Defence Nuclear Organisation: A MOD Main Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB). Established 1 April 2016. The MOD organisation that oversees all defence nuclear business, this includes investments for future nuclear submarines and for dismantling and disposal.

Further Information

Declaration Rates

‘Ethnicity’, ‘Sexual Orientation’, ‘Religion or Belief’, and ‘Disability’ are based on self-declaration. Each member of personnel can choose from the following options:

• One of the available diversity data fields (an active declaration)

• Choose not to declare (no declaration)

• No response (no declaration)

• Prefer to self-describe (text field option to self-describe)

Declaration Rate is the number of personnel who make an ‘active declaration’ as a proportion of the total personnel, including prefer to self-describe. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required.

Representation Rates

Representation rates are the calculated from the number of personnel within an ‘active declaration’ that select a particular active diversity as a proportion of the total personnel within ‘active declaration’. An active declaration excludes unknown or undeclared records. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60% declaration level is required to allow calculation of representation rates.

Prefer to self-describe is included within calculation for active declarations for ethnicity and religion or belief. Prefer to self-describe is not yet available for sexual orientation or disability.

For example, from 100 personnel, 80 personnel declare as either disabled or not disabled, and the remaining 20 select Choose Not to Declare or no option selected, this produces a declaration rate of 80%. Of the 80, 8 declare as disabled, and 72 as not disabled, this produces a representation rate of 10% for disabled personnel. If representation was calculated across whole population including the 20 undeclared, representation rate would be calculated as 8% and understated.

Table 9 - Declaration rates, as at 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023

	April 21	October 21	April 22	October 22	April 23	ppt change *	12 Month Change
Ethnicity	86.3	86.7	86.2	84.8	84.3	-2.0	-1.9
Sexual Orientation	78.0	78.9	78.5	77.0	76.5	-1.4	-2.0
Religion or Belief	75.9	76.8	77.4	76.3	76.2	0.3	-1.2
Disability	76.4	77.4	75.9	72.8	70.2	-6.2	-5.7

In the period April 2021 to April 2023 the proportion of active declarations fallen as indicated in table 9, personnel still retain the option to positively opt-out of providing details by selecting ‘Choose not to declare/Prefer not to say’.

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Grade Structures

Since 1 April 1996 all departments and agencies have had delegated responsibility for the pay and grading of their employees, except for those in the Senior Civil Service (SCS). As of February 2022 following the implementation of the MYHR personnel system, MOD Main TLB elements of the department are again reporting Civil Service wide grade structure.

The civil service-wide grades here are shown against levels broadly equivalent (in terms of pay and job weight) to the former MOD grades.

Civil Service grades	Former MOD grades
SCS – Senior Civil Service	SCS – Senior Civil Service
Grade 6	B1 & equivalents
Grade 7	B2 & equivalents
SEO - Senior Executive Officer	C1 & equivalents
HEO - Higher Executive Officer	C2 & equivalents
EO - Executive Officer	D & equivalents
AO - Administrative Officer	E1 & equivalents
AA - Administrative Assistant	E2 & equivalents

Rounding

All percentages are calculated from headcount totals (part time equivalent to one person), from unrounded figures and are shown to 1 decimal place.

Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.

Revisions

Occasionally errors can occur in statistical processes; procedures are constantly reviewed to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found the publication on the website will be updated and an errata slip published documenting the revision.

Protected Characteristics

All Protected Characteristics are analysed and reported on against the relevant Minority grouping, defining Minority on a numeric basis as the smaller or smallest of two or more groups forming a whole, rather than any broader cultural or sociological definition relating to characteristics of groups.

For reported Protected Characteristics, the following elements form the numeric minority:

Sex - Female Ethnicity - ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) Sexual Orientation - LGB Religion or Belief - non-christian Disability Status - Disabled Work Status - Part-Time

Further information relating to the Public Sector Equality Duty can be found at:

Public Sector Equality

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